


Dress-Up Games

by Daftinthehead (intravenusann)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, Flushed Romance | Matesprits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-07
Updated: 2012-05-07
Packaged: 2017-11-04 23:53:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/399604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intravenusann/pseuds/Daftinthehead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You are trying to save your species from certain doom. She is trying to methodically demolish a planet to uncover the secret to beating and unbeatable game. This is clearly the best time to play dress up. 1,400 words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dress-Up Games

At first the sketches felt like a waste of time. There was so little time left; hours, maybe, at best.

But thinking of what colors would work against the pale palette of Rose’s skin kept her mind off the darkness that loomed closer and closer. No one paid that much attention anyway, giving her all the room she could want to troll Rose. And if they weren’t trolling each other then it was easy to watch her as she slept or thought or knitted. While Rose reflected, Kanaya sketched.

She had quite a few sketches before she ever mentioned them, but that felt right with everything she knew about Rose.

Is Right Now Later Enough That You Might Be Convinced To Try The Outfits I Sketched

I suppose it’s not too inconvenient, comes the reply while Rose tears apart a sacred structure of her medium and reassembles it into a puzzle to be solved.

They continue to talk about everything and nothing — the Green Sun, Jack, Kanaya’s own experience with the game. She makes a token attempt to sway Rose’s path. The darkness looms ahead in ever shrinking hours.

Feel free to send me the codes for your designs, Rose tells her. I just want to alchematize something for privacy.

Privacy? Kanaya asks. What Is It That You Feel You Need To Conceal From Me?

Oh, there are many things I feel I should conceal from you, Rose jokes. My most dark and sinister plots for the future for instance.

Now You Admit Such Things Do Exist

Did I ever really deny it?

No I Suppose You Did Not

I Do Not Wish To Joke About This

I’m not concealing anything from you, Rose explains. It’s my server player, as well as any of your friends who might choose an inopportune moment to look in on my game.

None Of The Others Here Are Interested In You. I Don’t Know Why Though

How curious. Are you saying you find me interesting? Rose asks.

Remembering the need for insincerity, Kanaya types out quickly that no, of course she does not there is nothing interesting at all about Rose Lalonde. If anything, she falsely assures, she chose to interact with Rose because it’s so much easier than any other task.

So Easy I Am Bored Now. I Am Opening My Mouth To Draw Extra Breath Into My Air Bladders So That I Do Not Fall Asleep At My Monitor Out Of Boredom.

The wry smile that cuts Rose’s pale features is sharper than the sharpest teeth Kanaya has ever seen. A similar smile, though perhaps not as practiced or wicked, is breaking out on her own face, but hers, naturally, has sharp teeth. There’s differences, clearly, between them, but perhaps humans also find sharp teeth an attractive trait? They don’t have horns, so there must be something in place of that.

There is, though, the matter of this thing that Rose creates. Dark purple fabric strung on a folding frame — it reminds Kanaya of her hive and the bleak metal of their refuge becomes even more oppressively depressing. The screen folds into a little room once Rose has alchematized the first outfit from one of Kanaya’s sketches.

It is, perhaps, the most extreme of the designs. In her excitement, every color she likes wound up woven into it and the collar is trimmed with stiff feathers of exotic winged Alternian beasts that could withstand the brightest daylight. There’s a raised eyebrow, and a How gracious of you that Kanaya feels is more insincere than ever. It is, perhaps, even a little bit intentionally mean.

That Did Not Come Out As Well As I Had Hoped It Might, she admits candidly.

Such a powerful palette washes out what little color there is in Rose’s skin and there isn’t much to begin with. Human complexions are such strange things and Kanaya feels like an amateur all over again, learning how to pick colors for Rose’s alien looks. It’s an utter disappointment for both of them, but still one that Rose attempted. Obviously she must have known how it would look, but she did it anyway.

Perhaps Something More Like This?

Yes, I believe this design is much more to my personal tastes, Rose says. Then the unexpected: Thank you, Kanaya.

I Have Been Observing You For Some Time, she types back. I Could Not Help But Take Note Of Your Habits And Proclivities

As I have come to expect from my near-omniscient alien guardian, Rose writes in return.

Everything has long, flowing skirts, some layer, some split up to both knees, and some trailing in yards behind Rose’s feet. Kanaya dulls the palettes, adding grays and pastels to accent a taste for purple and black.

Pink is just a tint of red — the pale cousin of Kanaya’s favorite color.

She draws a simulacrum of her current outfit, washing out all of the colors and something about seeing it against Rose’s pale skin makes her almost uncomfortable.

No Sorry I Don’t Think That Is A Good Look For You At All, she types. This time it’s a flat out lie, but Kanaya feels something she can’t quite call guilt or relief when Rose frowns and begins to take it off.

Rose pauses in her motions to go and type: Sorry, I just can’t be bothered with the modesty screen anymore at the rate we’re going. I’ll regret it if anyone else is watching, but I trust they’re all busy with their own problems right now. It’s just you and what do you care? You’re a troll.

Then she pulls off the gray shirt with a curlicue embellished R and L on it in place of a symbol. Humans aren’t given a symbol upon birth, but what they have instead to aid their social structure, Kanaya doesn’t yet know.

Everything about her is pale, muted, almost fragile looking. It would mean nothing if Rose hadn’t made it clear that this means something to humans. Rose doesn’t want anyone else to see and, as casually as she can, Kanaya finds herself trying to cover up her screen while she pulls on the next dress.

It happens again and again until Kanaya just tries to hide everything that they’re doing while they play what Rose calls “dress up.”

Am I being a well-mannered enough doll for you? she asks.

Yes You Are A Perfectly Behaved Play Object, Kanaya writes back.

Do you realize how many things you say would sound completely inappropriate if you were anyone else? Rose asks her.

Am I Not

No, that isn’t right. Kanaya deletes those thoughts and tries again.

I Am Sorry But What Am I Doing Wrong Now?

Nothing, Rose writes. Don’t worry about it, Kanaya. If anything, it’s a charming little quirk.

You Find Me Charming Now Do You?

See, like that.

Like What?

I think it’s a cultural difference that, when played out in the way it is between us, I find rather amusing. But without the species/universe divide between us, it would be very different. Or maybe it wouldn’t, I really have no idea and I doubt we’ll have the privilege of finding out.

What Is That Supposed To Mean

I mean that I don’t think we’ll ever meet. The things you say could have other meanings, from my perspective. Maybe those are your real meanings, given how you are about superficial insincerity, but I have no way of knowing for certain. Therefore, it really doesn’t matter.

I Wish That We Could Meet.

Something stirs in some gland or organ that has never felt quite the way it does when Kanaya finally spells that desire out. She’s flushing and compulsively hiding her screen even though Rose is fully dressed in black, of all colors. This made sense when Rose was just someone she had imagined from a log that read with all the drama of one of her Rainbow Drinker novels — a troll with tall horns and sharp teeth — but this pale, deficient creature who could be very stupid or very dangerous or both? No, no, this isn’t something she can understand.

And now she’s on her own for understanding it, she thinks. There’s a lot more important things to worry about than this… This pitiful infatuation.

I really have to get back to wantonly tearing apart my planet with abandon, Rose writes.

See? Kanaya tells herself, that’s exactly the sort of thing she should be worrying about and not this unviable, flushed feeling. She chews her lip with sharp teeth and does not entertain the thought that worrying about the coming darkness is just a part of this warm pity that grows and grows.


End file.
